Healthy start to life: projects to address the health of Indigenous mothers, babies and children

Introduction

The Australian Government has announced funding worth $6.5 million over five years for four research projects under the Healthy start to life initiative. The projects have the potential of improving the maternal, infant and childhood health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The call for expressions of interest for project funding was made via the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (view the NHMRC Call for Expressions of Interest). Applicants were strongly encouraged to develop collaborative research teams to address a Healthy start to life in a cross-sectoral way. It was recommended that collaboration should include non-health sectors, such as education, employment, environment and transport, in partnership with service delivery agencies and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community groups. Applicants were encouraged to consider issues that impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in diverse settings, from remote and rural to urban and urban fringe populations.

In announcing the funding Mr Abbott said, ‘Indigenous health remains a significant challenge. Research projects such as these provide more information on identified problems and explore ways to address the problems. Providing Indigenous children with a better start in life will help improve their long term health.’

The projects complement the Government’s 2005-06 Budget commitment of an additional $170 million for Indigenous health over four years, including more than $100 million on a new program to improve the health of Indigenous mothers, babies and children and to reduce the impact of chronic diseases.

The projects

The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet is a partner in a successful application by Edith Cowan University (ECU), Western Australia, for a project that will receive funding of more than $1.4 million over five years. The project, Keeping kids on track: an initiative developing the resilience of Aboriginal students during a critical transition phase, will be directed by Chief Investigator Associate Professor Gary Partington of Kurongkurl Katitjin, ECU’s School of Indigenous Australian Studies. The initiative aims to build Indigenous children’s capacity to cope with life’s challenges and promote resilience through social and emotional skill development, cognitive development, community engagement, and appropriate health provision. This will build children’s capacities and lead to improved educational and employment outcomes in the longer term. Indigenous researchers and community members will participate in the governance and conduct of the study.

The other projects to be implemented in Western Australia and New South Wales are:

Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia
Chief Investigator: Professor Stephen Zubrick ($1.6 million)
Restoring Aboriginal parenting: development and evaluation of a culturally relevant program to support Aboriginal parents promoting their children’s behavioural and social competence and readiness for school learning.
The project involves the development and evaluation of a culturally relevant program for Aboriginal parents of young children. It aims to address the inter-generational effects of past policies of forced separation of children on the cultural and social transmission of parenting knowledge and skills. It seeks to restore identification with culture; promote parental confidence, knowledge and child rearing skills; and enhance resilience in Aboriginal children.

The University of Sydney, New South Wales
Chief Investigator: Professor Jonathan Craig (more than $2 million)
SEARCH – Study of environment on Aboriginal resilience and child health.
The SEARCH program will investigate the relationship between environmental determinants of health in a cohort study with five-year follow-up involving 800 urban NSW Aboriginal families with approximately 2,000 children aged 0-17 years. A subset of families will be recruited to participate in (i) a randomised controlled trial of the impact of a health broker on improving treatment of otitis media; and (ii) a feasibility study of an intervention to improve housing. These two studies will form the basis of an urban Aboriginal cohort study spanning 20 years with funding from alternate sources.

The University of Newcastle, New South Wales
Chief Investigator: Ms Josephine Gwynn (more than $1.4 million)
A type II diabetes and obesity prevention program for primary school aged rural Indigenous children.
The project aims to develop and evaluate the impact of an innovative multi-component community and school-based program for type II diabetes and obesity prevention program for Indigenous and non-Indigenous rural children.

For further information view:

Department of Health and Ageing, Tony Abbott, Minister for Health and Ageing
Research projects focus on the health of Indigenous children
View media release (HTML) (released 19 May 2005)

Edith Cowan University
ECU wins grant to promote self esteem among Indigenous youth
View media release (HTML) (released 25 May 2005)

The University of Newcastle
Indigenous Health Receives $1.4 million in funding
View media release (HTML) (released 20 May 2005)